meet the chefs
Chef Matias Whittingslow
Co-owner, Author’s Kitchen + Bar
Returning Chef Champion, Matias fine-tuned his skills working around the globe in Argentina, Spain and the U.S. He has worked for Four Seasons Hotels and 2 Michelin starred restaurants. Consuming all the knowledge possible as he worked, Matias has come to have a unique style that keeps you guessing with flavors.
Matias was born in a small town outside Buenos Aires. After high school, he attended the Argentine Institute of Gastronomy and worked in Spain before relocating to Miami for a job in a hotel kitchen. He continued traveling and cooking in locations such as Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Each new experience has helped shape him as a chef. Fox Valley diners will see many of these global influences on the menu at Author’s Kitchen + Bar established in 2020 with co-owner Josh Sickler.
Andrea Bartel
Executive Chef, Canteen at Community First Credit Union
As an experienced chef with a demonstrated history of working in the food service industry, Andrea is skilled in catering, cooking, food preparation, sanitation, and labor control. She received her Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from Fox Valley Technical College. Before joining Canteen, Andrea served as Food Services Manager at Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, Chef at Snooze A.M. Eatery in San Diego and Tustin, Lead Line Cook at Nordstrom San Diego, Executive Chef at The Legend at Brandybrook in Wales, Roundsman at Butte des Morts Country Club and Garde Manger at The Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Andrea also serves on the Riverview Gardens’ Culinary Advisory Panel and helped to build a skilled-based curriculum for the program. During her spare time, she started learning how to play the violin!
Nick Kapheim
Co-owner Spats Fine Food & Spirits
Born and raised in Appleton, Nick Kapheim began his culinary career working in local area kitchens before earning his culinary degree in Denver at Johnson and Wales University where he met his wife, Bri. The husband and wife duo have worked in kitchens across the country from California to New York, including more recently at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, in Milwaukee and North Shore Country Club in Mequon.
Both are the new owners of Spats Fine Food and Spirits on College Avenue which has been in business 35 years in a historic, 100-year-old building. They have basically overhauled the menu, creating a more upscale dining experience with chef-driven, scratch comfort food. Guests can expect Spats classic Friday Fish Fry and Reubens, along with awesome drinks, excellent food, amazing service and overall hospitality.
